


Strength and the Magician

by GrinningValkyrie



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:01:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29408775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrinningValkyrie/pseuds/GrinningValkyrie
Summary: Nine years after she first ran the Labyrinth, Sarah Williams continues to visit with her friends in the Underground. But Sarah is ill, marked by dark magic and night terrors with all-too-real consequences. After a near-death experience, her friends decide the only way to save her is to bring her to the Goblin King.Although he is still bitter from his defeat, Jareth cannot allow Sarah to be harmed - for more than one reason. In the same way it harms Sarah, the dark magic is destroying the Labyrinth, and the only way to save one is to save both.Sarah must learn to adjust to life in the Underground, wrestle with her growing feelings for the Goblin King, and take her rightful place as Champion to save the Labyrinth and the Goblin Kingdom from certain doom.
Relationships: Jareth & Sarah Williams, Jareth/Sarah Williams
Comments: 44
Kudos: 55





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been meaning to write this for SO long, and now is as good a time as any! The outline/drafts for the first few chapters have been on my laptop since 2016, but even before that I was hoping to write a fic about these two. I love a good enemies-to-lovers trope, and I hope you do too!

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young girl whose stepmother always made her stay home with the baby. The young girl thought the baby to be a spoiled child, and she fancied herself a slave to the whims of her wicked stepmother. Of course, her stepmother was not all that wicked, and the baby was not all that spoiled, but the girl was feeling unwanted and unloved and all-around ignored, so it was much easier to pretend to be a Cinderella or Snow White than to accept the fact that babies are helpless creatures that require constant care.

And so one night, when the young girl was feeling particularly distressed, she threatened to wish away her baby brother to the goblins. She initially was only teasing the baby, but the girl unwittingly said her “right words,” and the King of the Goblins came to retrieve the boy. Immediately realizing her mistake, the girl pleaded for her brother back. The Goblin King made her an enticing offer: forget about the baby, and he would give her her dreams. And though she was sorely tempted, the girl insisted on bringing her brother home. The king gave her thirteen hours to solve his labyrinth and reach the Castle Beyond the Goblin City to take back the child that he had stolen. 

And of course she did, for her will was as strong as his and her kingdom was as great. In their final confrontation, the Goblin King, whose name was Jareth, professed his love for the girl, whose name was Sarah. Despite the seeming sincerity of this confession, Sarah ignored it, for surely this was just a last-ditch effort made by the king in order to win. She declared that Jareth had no power over her and returned home with the baby. 

But Sarah’s adventure did not end with her solving of the Labyrinth. After all, how could she go on living a normal life now that she knew that magic existed? The answer was that she could not — at least not completely. Oh, she stayed with her family and continued with her schooling, but she always called on her friends from the Labyrinth at least once a week. Once a week turned into twice, twice turned into thrice, and eventually Sarah became unsatisfied with short conversations at night.

Sarah’s visits to the Underground became much more frequent. Although she was still wary of another encounter with the Goblin King, she couldn't deny the yearning ache that came whenever she thought of the Underground. There was so much she had not yet seen! So much that she longed to learn. She went every day, though how long each of her visits lasted, she could not say. Time moved differently in the Underground. No matter how many Underground hours she spent with her friends, she always seemed to return home by midnight. 

After a few years of traveling, Sarah asked her friends about the phenomenon. Hoggle, a dwarf and a gardener, did his best to explain it, but Sarah soon realized that he could tell her no more about the complexities of magic than she could tell him about astrophysics. Sir Didymus, a knighted fox, began to suggest she talk to a certain royal being in reference to her questions about magic, but he was quickly cut off by Hoggle’s glare and Sarah’s look of discomfort. 

In her years of travel to the Underground, Sarah had not visited the Castle Beyond the Goblin City since her defeat of the Goblin King. Somehow, she doubted he would want to meet with her again. _And why would he?_ Sarah thought. After all, if she were a magical fairy king, she certainly wouldn’t want to see the teenage mortal who beat her. Sarah smirked a bit at the thought. She, a fifteen-year old human, outwitted a Goblin King with an arsenal of magic at his disposal. 

And he almost had her, she mused. Especially at the very end, when he proclaimed love for her. Young Sarah was much more predisposed to believe in true love than the Sarah of the present. Still, she saw his act for what it was: manipulation. Even thinking about the situation now made her cheeks burn a bit with shame. Young Sarah had also been much more predisposed to believe that she was _in_ love than the Sarah of the present. 

An odd feeling swelled in Sarah’s stomach as she thought of her dance with the Goblin King. The dress, the ballroom, and even Jareth himself seemed to come straight out of her dreams. Again though, it was nothing more than manipulation. Just another diversion to keep her from getting to her brother. Sometimes she wondered, though. What if his attempts to woo her had been more than mere distraction? What if he really had been in-

But that way of thinking was dangerous. That way of thinking would lead to regret and unanswered questions and sympathy towards a man who certainly did not deserve it. No, it was much simpler to keep imagining _him_ (she wouldn’t dare to even think his name) as the big bad Goblin King. In fact, she’d be quite content if she never saw him again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to post two chapters today since the first is more of a prologue!

“Ms. Williams, may I speak with you?”

Sarah looked up from packing her supplies away to address Professor Carroll. It was her last class before the semester ended for the winter holidays. She nodded and followed the creative writing professor into her office.

“Tea?” asked Carroll. Once again, Sarah nodded mutely and hid a yawn behind her hand. She murmured a quick thanks as the professor handed her the cup. Professor Louisa Carroll had soft brown eyes, but they pierced into and scrutinized Sarah, making the young woman shift uncomfortably. 

“Um, is everything alright, Professor?” Sarah questioned, finally breaking the silence.

“I was about to ask you the same.”

Sarah frowned at the older woman. “I’m sorry?”

Carroll sighed and sat down behind her desk. “To be frank, the quality of your work has become increasingly mediocre over the past month. At the beginning of the semester, your writing was vivid, inspiring even. Not perfect, but leagues better than most of your peers.”

Sarah didn’t know how to respond. On one hand, she wanted to be offended. She put hours upon hours into each of her assignments, and she was a dedicated student. If she was being honest with herself though, she knew that Carroll was right. 

Sarah had once been a passionate writer, but now it was as though all of the creativity and imagination had been sapped out of her. To make matters worse, she was becoming increasingly weak and fatigued. She thought she might have the flu, but a visit to the doctor’s office revealed that nothing was physically wrong with her aside from an odd rash that the physician couldn’t quite place.

“I just haven’t been sleeping much is all.” Upon seeing Professor Carroll’s expectant look, Sarah realized that her answer was not satisfactory. Still trying to convince the older woman, Sarah scratched her arm uncomfortably and spoke again. “I've been feeling a little sick lately as well. But I'll be fine soon, I'm sure.”

Carroll cocked her head to the side. “And what exactly seems to be ailing you?”

“I'm not sure, really. The doctor says that I seem to be perfectly healthy, at least physically.”

“You ‘seem’ healthy? So you don’t agree with your doctor’s assessment?”

“Of course I agree-” Sarah started.

“Sarah,” Carroll asserted knowingly. The young woman sitting in front of her ducked her head and the professor placed a reassuring hand on her back. “I’ve always liked you, Sarah, since the day we met. Where’s the headstrong girl who marched into my office to try and negotiate her grades each week? You were getting- no, you were _earning_ solid A’s back then, but as your grades began to drop more I’ve been seeing less and less of you outside of class. I know there’s something wrong, and I just want to help you, so let me.” There was quiet for a few moments until Sarah finally spoke.

“I haven’t been sleeping much,” Sarah began. The professor opened her mouth, but Sarah pushed on and kept talking. “I’m not sick because I can’t sleep, I can’t sleep because I’m sick. I’m always weak and exhausted. And when I finally fall asleep, I wake up in the middle of the night from nightmares that I only remember bits and pieces of. I can barely look at food without feeling nauseous, let alone eat it, and I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I just-” 

Sarah cut off as she began to sob in huge gasps. The culmination of fatigue and pain and fear finally came crashing down upon her, and it knocked the wind from her body. Professor Carroll rubbed the weeping girl’s back comfortingly until her tears had subsided.

“I am trying _so_ hard, Professor,” Sarah’s voice had become hollow. “I used to have so many ideas, so many plans for stories I wanted to tell. I can’t think of any new ideas anymore, and I can’t find the words to create stories out of the old ideas. And it’s not just a little writer’s block, it’s me. I don’t dream anymore, while I’m asleep or during the day. There’s just… nothing.”

“Sarah, I don’t mean to be intrusive, but have you thought about seeing a therapist?”

Sarah’s head snapped up. “You think I’m losing my mind.”

“Not at all. I think you’re suffering from depression. Now don’t look at me like that, the signs are all there. I’m concerned about you, Sarah.”

Sarah shook her head. “I really appreciate your concern, Professor, but I know that isn't it. I can feel that that isn't why I'm sick, I don't know how to explain it. It feels like I should know what's wrong. It feels familiar. I know how ridiculous that sounds, but it's true.”

Carroll sighed. “I believe you, Sarah. I have a chronic illness myself that took five different doctors to diagnose. For your sake, I hope you find the right one.”

“So do I.” Sarah began to gather her belongings and was surprised when the usually proper Professor Carroll pulled her into a hug.

“Everything is going to be alright, I promise.”

Sarah didn’t have the heart to disagree.

* * *

“Is everything alright, my lady?” Sir Didymus asked. “If there are any wicked fiends who have harmed thee, do not hesitate to tell me so that I may deliver their comeuppance!”

“It’s nothing like that, Sir Didymus. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”

“Well if thou should ever need someone to listen to your woes, I am ready and willing,” he offered, whiskers twitching with determination. Sarah managed a small grin at the little fox and rubbed behind his orange ears. The two watched Ludo attempt to help Hoggle in his garden, but the poor brute only crushed the plants beneath his feet. Sarah scratched her arm and winced as Ludo wailed loudly when Hoggle began to berate him.

“Didymus,” Sarah spoke suddenly. “After I left the Labyrinth, did Jar- well, I mean, were you punished? For helping me?”

Didymus shook his head with a sad smile. “You never cease to amaze me, my lady. Even in times of personal peril, you think of all but yourself,” The small fox smiled fondly at the young woman and patted her hand before delving into more serious matters. “And as for your question, not one of us have seen His Highness in quite some time.”

Sarah’s brows furrowed in confusion. “What? Where did he go?” The little fox shifted uncomfortably before being saved from answering by his brother-in-arms.

“SAWAH PLAYYYY!” Ludo groaned happily as he splashed about in the river next to Hoggle’s garden. Hoggle, meanwhile, was trying to avoid being crushed under Ludo’s feet.

“Watch where yer goin’, ya big oaf!” Hoggle cried unhappily.

Sarah giggled, momentarily forgetting her question. Before she had time to ask for the answer again, Didymus had scurried over to the river to join his friends in play. Absentmindedly scratching her arm, Sarah removed her shoes before joining her friends in the stream.

* * *

Not so far away, in the Castle Beyond the Goblin City, a tall, gaunt, scrap of a king watched the quartet from a transparent crystal ball he was flipping over his hand. He stared at the laughing woman with a mixture of longing and resentment for a few moments before suddenly hurling the crystal at the wall. The goblins hiding in the room scattered in fright, leaving their master alone.

Embarrassed, though the only witnesses had been goblins, he miserably formed another crystal and gazed into it. His face was stoic; his mind, a storm. He so very much wanted to hate the woman who had defeated him those few years ago, to be able to dream of exacting his revenge. But no revenge was to be had, and his dreams were only of her. 

Strong, stubborn Sarah. Sarah who had crushed his heart between her slender fingers. Sarah who defied him at every turn. Sarah who kicked him while he was down and tore apart his dreams. Sarah whom he had no power over, but who had all of the power over him. 

Sarah whom he longed for above all else, and who would reject him were she ever to learn of his feelings.

And so he kept away. Better that she think that his offers of love were nothing more than deceit. Better that she would never learn that if there was one person the Goblin King would move the stars for, it would be her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for joining me for chapter two! Your kind words have kept me motivated to continue, so thank you to all who commented! I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Trigger Warning: there's a short description of scratches/blood at the beginning of this chapter that's relative to the story/Sarah's illness. If you want to avoid it, skip the section after Sarah's dream.

Sarah groaned as she pulled a thermometer from her mouth. 102 degrees on her first day of winter break. “ _Just my luck,_ ” she thought bitterly. Apparently, she wouldn’t be making the four-hour drive back home today. Scratching her arm and groaning, she clambered back into bed, pulling off her sticky cotton socks to alleviate some of the sweating. Hopefully she could sleep the fever away if she napped all day…

* * *

_”Where are you running off to? Don’t tell me you plan on missing all the fun!”_

_A crash._

_A heartbeat - unsteady, rapid._

_“Do I scare you, mortal girl? Do I terrify you, my enemy?”_

_Screaming._

_Running._

_“You’re too late, you know.”_

_Help me._

_HELP ME!_

* * *

Still screaming, Sarah jolted upright out of bed, her fingers twisting in the sheets. She gasped for air, not realizing until she felt a wetness on her arms that she was hurt. Shakily, she stumbled out of the bed and fumbled around for the light switch. Nail marks were engraved into each arm, clawing down from the elbow and tapering towards the wrist. Sarah took one look at the gory mess and promptly ran to the bathroom to vomit. 

Looking up at the mirror, she cried out in a broken garble. “H-Help! I need you!”

Just as the mirror began to swirl, Sarah fainted and crashed to the ground.

* * *

“Should we wake her?”

“LUDO SCAWEDDD!”

“Would you keep quiet? Yer givin’ me a headache!”

“I do believe she is waking already, my brothers.”

* * *

Sarah’s eyelids slowly opened. It took a few moments for her to register where she was. Her throat felt dry and scratchy, and as she reached for the water bottle on the nightstand, she saw that her arms had been bandaged with… leaves? Curiously, she started to peel up the bandage to inspect the wound, but a crusty, dry hand grabbed hers before she could touch it. 

Startled, Sarah looked up in fear, but was soothed when she saw that it was only Hoggle. Didymus was sitting at the foot of her bed next to Ambrosius (who looked quite a bit like her old dog Merlin) and Ludo was sitting on the floor playing with her childhood music box (which he could not quite figure out).

“You shouldn't touch that, Sarah,” Hoggle said lightly, releasing her hand. “You don't wanna start it bleedin’ again like before.”

“What is this?” She asked, looking at the odd leaves.

“It's bloodwort from my garden. It'll replace any blood ya lost, and close up those scratches when it's done.”

“Hoggle, exactly how much blood did I lose?”

Hoggle looked away, pretending to busy himself with closing up his satchel. Sarah was about to ask him again, but she paused when he looked up at her again with tears in her eyes. 

“We thought we was too late to save ya, Sarah.” He almost whimpered.

“Oh, Hoggle,” Sarah cried softly, pulling her friend close and kissing his cheek. He jumped back from the kiss and then chuckled darkly to himself. 

“Sorry, I guess I was thinkin’ about what happened the last time you tried to kiss me.” He explained, shuffling side to side nervously.

Sarah smiled fondly at her friend before sighing. “I guess you all want an explanation?” The three nodded, and she gave an abridged version, not mentioning what actually happened in the nightmare.

“I've been feeling sick lately. I had a fever this morning so I tried taking a nap. Apparently I had a fever dream - or fever nightmare, I guess - and I must have just scratched myself a bit.”

“Ha! ‘A bit,’ she says!” Hoggle laughed bitterly, causing Sarah to blush in shame.

“It doesn't hurt that much anymore. Honestly, I'm fine.”

“Pff! ‘Fine’ my foot!”

“Lady Sarah,” Didymus spoke softly. “You did lose quite a bit of blood. The scene that was presented unto us was far more macabre than any battle in which I have fought.”

Sarah couldn't think of anything to say in response to that. The quartet sat in silence for a bit and Sarah tried to avoid picking at the dressings.

In a low voice, she spoke again. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“Aw, Sarah, it ain’t yer fault!” Hoggle reassured, patting her on the back.

“Then whose fault is it?” The question hung in the air, dangling over their heads like a cartoon anvil. No one volunteered an answer. Sarah gingerly climbed out of bed and walked over to the wooden vanity she had owned since she was a teenager.

Silently, she began to examine her reflection. Tired eyes with purple circles hung suspended on a pallid face. Her thick black hair, which she had cut to shoulder-length at the beginning of the semester, was tangled and mangled and matted and knotted. 

She began to work at it with a brush, starting with the ends and working her way up. She flipped her head to brush out the underside, but quickly snapped straight back up when her friends cried out. 

“Y-your neck!” Hoggle managed to gasp out. Sarah held up her hair with one hand and snatched the handheld mirror from her desk. Holding it behind her, she angled it so that its reflection would appear in the big mirror on her vanity.

At first she mistook the mark as a burn. At the base of her skull was a small design. It's thin red lines looked like some artistic form of spider veins, but Sarah recognized the twisting pattern. 

“Is that the- I mean, it is, isn't it?” Sarah sputtered, feeling the inflamed skin. “It's the… It's-”

“The Labyrinth, my lady.” Sir Didymus supplied quietly. 

Ludo, who had been focused on the music box until this point, had finally figured out how to make it work and was guffawing with pleasure. 

The familiar song prickled at Sarah’s skin and a chill ran down her spine. Breathing shallowly, she walked over to the box. She lifted it carefully out of Ludo’s large paws and stared at the tiny, spinning ballerina.

“This was a gift from my mother, you know. For my birthday when I was a girl. She found it at some old antique store in the city, said that the dancer reminded her of me. The store owner didn’t even know where the music box came from, it just appeared. Like magic!” She laughed darkly. Her friend stared at her in shock. Even Ludo had fallen silent, recognizing the sober disposition of his friends. Sarah continued, eyes glazed over.

“He sang it to me, in the peach dream.” No one had to ask who she was talking about. “And I was dressed like her - the ballerina, I mean. It was like every fairytale I’ve ever read, every dream I ever had. He made me feel so... and it was all part of the game, it was just to amuse him. Nothing that he said or that I felt was real. It screwed me up, and it was only for thirteen hours. I got over it, it was just a silly crush, but- but just because he didn’t love me… I mean, he doesn’t hate me, does he?”

No one answered her question, and she smiled ruefully.

“I wanted an adventure so badly. I wanted to fight monsters and be a hero. Like it was some kind of game. I had no idea…” she trailed off for a moment, lost in thought. “Thirteen hours of my life and now I’m... broken.”

Her words were met with great protest from her friends, but she shook her head to silence him.

“I thought I beat the game, I thought I won. But there’s no winning. And he was so angry… _so_ angry.”

Finally, she voiced the question they were all thinking.

“Is this him? Did the Goblin King do this?” She asked shakily, not daring to speak his name. “Is he the one who’s hurting me?”

Sarah looked up, searching the eyes of her friends. Again, there was only silence. Once again, Sarah’s eyes dropped down to the music box in her hands. Trembling, she stroked the white tulle of the little doll’s dress, remembering the lyrics to the song.

_But I’ll be there for you  
As the world falls down._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter! The plot will really pick up within the next two chapters when Sarah and Jareth reunite. Please let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not posting yesterday, I didn't have a chance to edit until now! I hope you all enjoy :)

“Sarah!” a now nine-year-old Toby yelled with jubilee, rushing into his half-sister’s arms. She kissed the top of his head, smoothing back his curly blond hair.

“Hey, kiddo!” Sarah laughed, squeezing the boy to herself. She was always surprised by how much she missed her brother. As she pulled back, she noticed the red and white striped shirt Toby wore. Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered the similar onesie he had as a baby, the candy cane outfit he wore in the Labyrinth. The one that had “mysteriously disappeared” from his wardrobe when Sarah could no longer bear to see it. Masking the distress she felt, Sarah walked into the kitchen to greet Irene.

Although their initial relationship had been quite rocky, the two had found similarities within each other. While Sarah realized that Irene was not the archetypal evil stepmother, and Irene found that Sarah had moved on from being the standard bratty teenager, they were finally able to form a solid friendship. Irene welcomed her stepdaughter with a big bear hug.

“I thought you weren’t coming back for a few days because you were sick!” Irene exclaimed, seeming both happy and worried for Sarah’s health.

“Oh, it’s nothing serious. I think it was just one of those 24-hour fevers, I’m fine now.” Sarah promised, though Irene gave her a skeptical look.

“Well, you don’t look good.”

“Thanks, Irene. That’s doing wonders for my self-esteem.”

Irene laughed gently, placing a hand on Sarah’s cheek. “You know that’s not how I meant it. I want you to go take a nap right now, young lady.”

“Let me grab my bag quick-”

“I’ll have your father do it when he gets home from work. Upstairs, now!” Irene commanded, marching Sarah up the stairs.

* * *

_”Surely you knew this was coming.”_

_Blurred vision._

_“Pathetic.”_

_Shaky hands._

_“You are the final line of defense, and yet you fall so easily.”_

_Blood. (Hers?)_

_“Sarah Williams.”_

_Haziness._

_“The_ dreamer _.”_

_Nothing._

_“Sleep well.”_

_PAIN!_

* * *

“SARAH!” Irene yelled, banging on the locked bedroom door. “Open the door right now, or I’ll break it down!”

Sarah, torn from sleep and trembling furiously, wrapped her blanket around her shoulders to cover her newly-torn arms. Blearily, she unlocked and cracked the door.

“You sounded like you were being murdered!” Irene reached out for the young woman, but Sarah jolted away from her touch.

“I, um, I had a fever dream. I think I’m still sick.”

Irene touched her wrist to Sarah’s forehead.

“You do feel hot… I’ll bring you some ice water and a few acetaminophen to bring down the fever.”

Sarah managed to smile, though it came out more like a grimace. “Thanks, Irene.” The older woman kissed her forehead before leaving the room. Sarah slowly removed the newly bloodstained blanket from her shoulders. The back of her neck burned, but she paid it no mind. 

Besides the new gashes, the old cuts hadn’t healed properly and had reopened. Knowing that she wouldn’t have time to bandage herself properly Irene returned, Sarah threw on an old red sweatshirt. Not great for staunching the blood, and even worse for cooling her fever, but at least it would conceal her wounds.

Only after her stepmother left did Sarah lock the door and call on her friends. Following a whispered plea to the mirror, Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus appeared in her bedroom.

“It happened again, didn’t it?” Hoggle asked knowingly. Sarah nodded miserably, rolling up her sleeves. “Oh, Sarah,” he muttered miserably.

A shot of pain flashed across the backs of her shoulders, and she brought her hand to feel it. The scar had expanded. It had been about fifteen minutes since she had woken up, and without the bloodwort, she had lost a lot of blood. Her vision began to swim and she was shaking violently. 

“No…” she whimpered before sinking to the floor, her eyes fluttering closed and her world going dark.

* * *

Hoggle immediately got to work bandaging her arms with the bloodwort while Ludo wailed and Sir Didymus shifted uncomfortably. 

“Brother Hoggle, perhaps we should… well, what I mean is… Hoggle!” Sir Didymus shouted out to his comrade when he saw he was not being paid attention to. Hoggle, continuing his work, looked up at the fox.

“What is it?” He demanded, as if he already knew what his friend would suggest.

“You know the signs as well as I, Sir Hoggle. Lady Sarah is blighted by dark magic! You know to whom we must bring her.”

Hoggle’s face darkened. “I’ll never let that rat near Sarah again.” He vowed.

“Thou dost not think straight! He may be her only chance of remedy!”

“Or he may kill ‘er!” Hoggle yelled back.

“Hoggle,” Didymus replied softly. “Look at her. She doesn’t have much time.”

A pained expression crossed Hoggle’s face as he saw how pale Sarah had become. “Alright,” he finally agreed. “But if he hurts ‘er, I’ll kill ‘im. I swear it.”

Didymus nodded with understanding. Ludo lifted Sarah and carried her through the mirror into the throne room of the Castle Beyond the Goblin City, where he placed her down at the feet of a very shocked Goblin King.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please let me know what you think! Jareth and Sarah will be reunited in the next chapter, which should be up this weekend.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, some interaction between Jareth and Sarah (although she's unconscious for it). Enjoy!

Jareth’s heart jumped up to his throat as the beast laid out a ghostly white Sarah Williams in front of him. Trying to keep his composure, Jareth narrowed his eyes cautiously.

“What is the meaning of this, Hogwart?” he demanded, purposely messing up the dwarf’s name to hide his concern. Apart from his voyeurism through the crystals, he had not seen the woman in almost a decade.

“Your majesty,” demanded Sir Didymus. “You must help my lady!”

Instead of replying that he _must_ do nothing, Jareth’s unwillingly worried gaze fell down to the woman at his feet. “What’s happened to her?” He breathed.

“I believe it to be dark magic, my lord!” Didymus exclaimed anxiously. Jareth crouched down, sweeping her hair away from her perspiring forehead wordlessly.

“Well? What’s wrong with ‘er?!” Hoggle cried out. 

“Exactly what your friend here has suggested,” Jareth replied, sweeping up Sarah into his arms. “Dark magic.”

Hoggle began to protest as Jareth carried the girl into a different room, but Didymus stopped him with a firm grasp.

“He will not harm Lady Sarah,” the little fox assured his friend. Hoggle gave him an incredulous look, but Didymus withstood the dwarf’s gaze. 

All that the three creatures could do was stare at the doors that slammed shut behind the Goblin King and hope that their friend would be alright.

* * *

Jareth teleported Sarah down a spiral staircase to a cavern beneath the castle. The expansive grotto was filled with jagged crystals that exuded a soft blue glow. In the middle of the area was a blue glowing pool, and in the middle of the pool was a small island. Protruding from the middle of it was another crystal, the largest of all in the cave. Jareth waded through the pool to the island, Sarah limp in his arms.

After laying her against the huge gem, Jareth ran to the pool to wet a cloth he conjured. Just as quickly, he ran back to Sarah and carefully wrung out the handkerchief above her parted lips. When he had squeezed all he could from the cloth, he peeled the bloodwort from her forearms. What lay before him was a gruesome sight. Swallowing the bile that rose in his throat, he began patting down the newly opened wounds. Bit by bit, they closed up, leaving behind not even the faintest scar.

Sarah’s breathing steadied after a bit, and the Goblin King let out a relieved breath that he had held unwittingly. Upon this realization, he bit the inside of his cheek in annoyance and tried to squash down the sense of relief that the woman’s renewed health brought him. He shook away those thoughts and lifted Sarah’s head.

Sighing, he broke a small piece of crystal off the larger one and conjured a necklace in which to set it. Muttering some spell over the gemstone, its aquamarine color changed into a metallic gold. As he slipped it around Sarah’s neck, he could see her eyelids begin to flutter. Cowardly though it was, he was not ready to face her, not when he was in such a state of discomposure.

Brushing a hand over her head, he murmured softly to her. “Sleep, Sarah.”

* * *

It was a deep and dreamless slumber, the first restful one she had had in months. When Sarah finally awoke, she was alone in a strange room. Despite the fact that she should probably be afraid, or at the very least concerned, she felt strangely at peace. This place felt familiar and warm, like home.

_Must be the blood loss,_ she thought with wry humor. Trying to sit up, she was suddenly hit with a wave of vertigo. Squeezing her eyes shut, Sarah waited for the feeling to pass. She could feel the smooth leaves of the bloodwort on her arms, but they still had a long way to go in terms of restoring her.

Sarah was pulled from her thoughts when a small goblin entered the room with a tray of food and, upon seeing Sarah sitting up, squeaked and ran back out. _Well, at least I know I’m in the Underground._

After a minute or so, the door swung back open, and Sarah was alarmed to see a rather large bird enter. She cringed back, exacerbating the dizzy feeling.

“No need for all that, dearie, I’m not going to harm you,” the bird spoke in a Scottish brogue, sounding slightly offended. 

“I’m sorry,” Sarah stammered back. By now, she should be used to the strange creatures of the Underground. Of course, her current lightheaded state didn’t help either.

“S’alright, I expect you’ve never met a Caladrius before.” The bird crossed the room, and the sunlight streaming in through the window reflected off its iridescent white feathers.

“A what?”

“We’re healers. Fairly common ‘round these parts, but not many of us in the Aboveground.”

Sarah tried not to cringe as the bird gingerly lifted her right arm with its wings, peeling back the bloodwort with its beak.

“You’re coming along nicely. You were a little touch-and-go there for a while, he was worried.”

“Poor Hoggle, I didn’t mean to frighten him,” Sarah replied regretfully. The bird opened its beak to respond, but as if speaking his name summoned him, Hoggle burst in with Didymus flanking him. 

“Sarah, yer awake!” The relief her friends felt was evident, but made Sarah feel even more guilty. 

“I’m so sorry. Thank you both for finding me help.”

“Your apologies are unnecessary, my lady, and we humbly accept your gratitude — though of course, your rescue was not solely our doing.”

Hoggle shot a look at the fox that Sarah did not notice.

“Ludo, of course. Where is he?”

“Sir Ludo’s stature exceeds the architecture of this building,” Didymus answered. 

Hoggle, rolling his eyes, clarified. “He’s too big for the doorways, so he’s waiting outside.”

Sarah made a move to get up and seek out her large friend, but the Caladrius pushed her back down gently with a wing.

“There’ll be time enough for that later once you’ve healed. After two weeks in bed, I doubt you’ll be able to walk much on your own anyway.”

Eyes bulging, Sarah choked out, “Two weeks?!”

Hoggle and Didymus shifted a bit, not meeting her gaze, while the Caladrius cleared its throat and spoke again. “Your friends told me about your condition so far. It appears to have gotten worse, but I believe we’ve caught it in time.”

Absently, Sarah reached around to the back of her neck, tracing the pattern with her fingers. Although she couldn’t see it, her fingers felt that it had extended to her shoulder blades.

“What’s wrong with me?” she whispered fearfully. Now it was the Caladrius’ turn to look away.

“I think that’s a conversation better to be had with someone else, dearie,” the bird said evasively. At Sarah’s confused look, it clarified. “Better to be had with the king. He’ll want to hear that you’ve woken.”

Sarah’s blood ran cold at the mention of Jareth. After so many years, she was apprehensive of their reunion. She looked to Hoggle and Didymus, the former looking as though he was holding back some very choice words.

Surely, her friends wouldn’t allow him near her if he was dangerous, right? But then, maybe they had no choice. They were his subjects, after all, and Jareth was far more powerful than most of the denizens of the Underground.

“I’ll send Rat back in with your tray. You gave her a little fright when you woke, but she’s been helping me bathe and turn you to stave off any bed sores.”

An embarrassed flush rushed across Sarah’s face as she realized the two creatures had seen her so vulnerable.

“I’ll be back to check on you once you’ve had a chance to speak with His Majesty, but if you need anything, just call.”

With that, the Caladrius ushered her friends out of the room, leaving Sarah to prepare for her confrontation alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter we'll see their reunion after 9 years apart! Please make sure to comment and let me know how you felt about this chapter :)


End file.
